186 PART Two • ThE PoliTiCs oF AmERiCAn DEmoCRACy
Australian Ballot
A secret ballot prepared,
distributed, and tabulated
by government officials
at public expense. Since
1888, all states have
used the Australian ballot
rather than an open, public
ballot.
Office-Block, or
Massachusetts, Ballot
A form of general election
ballot in which candidates
for elective office are
grouped together under
the title of each office. It
emphasizes voting for the
office and the individual
candidate, rather than for
the party.
Party-Column, or
Indiana, Ballot
A form of general election
ballot in which all of a
party’s candidates for
elective office are arranged
in one column under the
party’s label and symbol. It
emphasizes voting for the
party, rather than for the
office or individual.
Coattail Effect
The influence of a
popular candidate on
the electoral success of
other candidates on the
same party ticket. The
effect is increased by the
party-column ballot, which
encourages straight-ticket
voting.
Abolishing the college would require a constitutional amendment, however, and the
likelihood of such an amendment is remote. As an alternative, the National Popular Vote
movement advocates an interstate compact to bypass the existing system. This proposal
would require each participating state to cast all of its electoral votes for the candidate who
receives the most popular votes nationwide. The plan will go into effect if the number of par-
ticipating states grows to the point at which these states can elect a majority of the electoral
college. As of mid-2013, eight states and the District of Columbia had joined the compact.
how ARE ElECTions ConDuCTED?
The United States uses the australian ballot—a secret ballot that is prepared, distributed,
and counted by government officials at public expense. Since 1888, all states have used
the Australian ballot. Before that, many states used oral voting or differently colored ballots
prepared by the parties. Obviously, knowing which way a person was voting made it easy
to apply pressure on the person to change his or her vote, and vote buying was common.
office-Block and Party-Column Ballots
Two types of Australian ballots are used in the United States in general elections. The
first, called an office-block ballot, or sometimes a massachusetts ballot, groups all the
candidates for a particular elective office under the title of that office. Parties dislike the
office-block ballot because it places more emphasis on the office than on the party—it
discourages straight-ticket voting and encourages split-ticket voting. Most states now use
this type of ballot.
A party-column ballot is a form of general election ballot in which all of a party’s
candidates are arranged in one column under the party’s label and symbol. It is also called
an indiana ballot. In some states, it allows voters to vote for all of a party’s candidates
for local, state, and national offices by simply marking a single “X” or by pulling a single
lever. Because it encourages straight-ticket voting, the two major parties favor this form.
When a party has an exceptionally strong presidential or gubernatorial candidate to head
the ticket, the use of the party-column ballot increases the coattail effect (the influence
of a popular candidate on the success of other candidates on the same party ticket).
Voting by mail
Voting by mail has been accepted for absentee ballots for many decades (for example,
for individuals who are doing business away from home or for members of the armed
forces). Recently, several states have offered mail ballots to all of their voters. The rationale
for using the mail ballot is to make voting easier and increase turnout. Oregon has gone
one step further: since 1998, that state has employed postal ballots exclusively, and there
are no polling places. (Voters who do not prepare their ballots in time for the U.S. Postal
Service to deliver them can drop off their ballots at drop boxes on Election Day.) In addi-
tion, most counties in the state of Washington now use mail ballots exclusively. By national
standards, voter turnout in those two states has been high, but not exceptionally so.
Voting Fraud and Voter iD laws
Voting fraud is something regularly suspected but seldom proved. Voting in the 1800s,
when secret ballots were rare and people had a cavalier attitude toward the open buying
of votes, was probably much more conducive to fraud than modern elections are. Still,
some observers claim that the potential for voting fraud is high in many states, particularly
LO4: Explain the mechanisms
through which voting takes place
on Election Day, and discuss voter
turnout in the United States.
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